The Tampa Bay Lightning headed into their game against Arizona as a heavy favorite. This season has been rough for the Coyotes. After making what seemed to be smart moves in the offseason, they looked to be ready to take a step toward being a competitive NHL team. That hasn’t happened. They’ve struggled just as much as last year.
The Lightning are in the opposite position. They’ve been among the best teams in the league. On paper, this game looked about as one-sided as a game could be. But it didn’t start that way.